Warrior's Heart
by InfantryGrunt94
Summary: CPL John David Adams has ben given a sudden re-assignment. To the 8th Special Forces Group according to his orders, and is joined by three other soldiers upon his arrival at Nellis AFB in Nevada. None of them know why they have been so suddenly re-assigned, or for what purpose. However, CPL Adams will soon realize that there is more to this re-assignment than he truly knows...
1. Chapter 1

Warrior's Heart

When someone says "life" what is it we think of? Often times I've wondered what it truly means, because of everything that I've seen thus far in my life. But I'm also constantly reminded that life itself is always more than what we think it is. My name is Corporal John David Adams, and this is my story. I am part of a special operations military program codenamed WARRIOR. It was a top-secret program designed to create the ultimate team of soldiers to combat the red Chinese threat that was present at the time. However, the lead scientist also had a side project besides myself and my team, his only daughter and her two friends. They had all been in an extreme accident while driving home one night. All were severely burned and very near death when they were brought before the scientist. While it nearly broke his heart to do so, he "Officially" declared all three clinically dead. Unofficially however, he managed to save them all in some form. They all became the "candidates" for his cyborg/android project. With careful precision and timing, he replaced many of their vital organs with synthetic parts, and completely erased their memories of their past lives. They were all now part of the project, and could never return to the life they once knew, and so he thought it best that they remember nothing. Not even his own daughter would remember that he was her father. This is the part of the story where I come in. I had only recently been brought in a short time after this terrible tragedy along with my team to begin our training. All of us had received a special procedure done by this man as well. At birth, a specialized combat chip had been implanted into our cerebrums to enhance motor skills, critical thinking and reasoning, and all reflexes once activated. And so begins this story….


	2. Chapter 2

It was hot, and humid as I and three other soldiers like myself stepped off of the C-130 that had transported us to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. We all looked at each other in bewilderment. None of us knew why we were here. In fact it was downright strange. I had formerly been an 18 year old Private First Class in the Army National Guard only a month prior to being here. Now I was a Corporal, and assigned to active duty, not to mention probably the youngest NCO in the Army itself. To the 8th Special Forces Group my orders had said. With hesitation I had followed these orders, and was now standing here with a sergeant, a specialist, and a PFC. We had all spent a small amount of time in the Army, but even this surprised us. It also seemed that we all had some kind of specialization from our previous units as well. I had formerly been an Air Assault Infantryman in a heavy weapons company with the 48th Brigade. The specialist, SPC Chris Howard had been with EOD, PFC Andy Rogers had been a designated marksman in a scout/sniper platoon with the 10th Mountain Division, and SGT Mark Wilkens had been an Airborne Infantryman and team leader with the 82nd Airborne Division. We were all in the middle of introducing ourselves to one another, when a captain approached us. "You all received orders to the 8th group, correct?" he asked. "Yes sir!" we all said in unision as we snapped to attention. "Follow me." He ordered. We all followed him deep into the base until we finally reached an extremely secretive looking ready room. We were all instructed to take a seat. It was then that a half-American, Half-Japanese man in scientist scrubs entered the room. He seemed to have an almost forlorn look about him, but none-theless he greeted us with, "Good afternoon gentlemen. Welcome to Nellis. I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here, and why you've been so suddenly assigned to the 8th." He began as a projector screen was rolled down behind him. At the same moment a series of papers with complex math equations were set before us all that were well beyond any of our understandings. "Have a look at these problems. Can you solve them?" he asked. We all stared hard at them for a moment, but then all said no. With that, he withdrew a device of some sort, and with a flip of a switch we all received massive migranes, like someone had smashed our heads in with a sledgehammer. "How about now?" the scientist asked. Amazingly, as we all regained our consciousness, we all solved every equation with ease and in minutes. I was awestruck. I had never been proficient at math, but yet, now it was mere child's play to me. "How did I…." I began. "You are all here because of an operation you were given shortly after birth." He began. "A specialized combat chip was inserted into each of your cerebrums. This chip, now that it is active, will boost your motor skills, critical thinking and reasoning, as well as all reflexes." We were all awestruck. "In short, you are now part of a top-secret program called WARRIOR. This program's sole purpose is to create the ultimate team of soldiers for the U.S. and you four are the candidates for the program." Now things were beginning to make sense. "So who are you then?" asked PFC Rogers. "My name is Dr. Kagamine. I am the lead scientist on this program, as well as the surgeon who performed all of your operations." He explained. "Now then, to explain a little about your team, Sergeant Wilkens, you are now the team's leader. Corporal Adams you are second in command, and the automatic rifleman. Specialist Howard, you are the grenadier, and PFC Rogers, you are the rifleman and marksman. Together, you will be designated as Shadow team." This was all a lot to take in, but it was quite an honor I felt. To be selected for a project such as this. There was something forlorn I still noticed about Dr. Kagamine however. It was as if he had lost someone very close to him, or someone had forgotten him. I was unable to figure it out, but little did I know that I would soon uncover the reason behind his apparent suffering. We followed the doctor out of the ready room to two Humvees and were driven to our base of operations, which had its own barracks and laboratory. Upon our arrival, we were issued gear for training, new uniforms, and an individual weapon. We were also shown to our quarters, which were individual quarters much to my surprise. We were then given the rest of the day to get settled in, and rest because we would need it according to Kagamine. It was a little later in the evening when I received a knock on my door. "Corporal, I wanted to introduce you to someone." Kagamine said. "Sure sir." I replied. It was at this moment when a teenage girl about sixteen in age stepped through the door. "This is Rin. She is an android, and will be your personal assistant and handler throughout your time here."


	3. Chapter 3

I  
simply looked at this "girl" with amazement. She looked like something straight  
out of an anime comic that I was sure I had seen before! But an android!? As an  
assistant!? This was ludicrous! "I'll leave you two to get acquainted  
Corporal." Kagamine said as he departed. I took another look at the girl, or  
android. Though she was synthetic, she was still very beautiful. Bright blonde  
hair that fell down to her shoulders with a white ribbon tied on top along with  
cerulean blue eyes made her almost dream-like in appearance. She was dressed in  
what looked like a Japanese style school girl outfit that consisted of a white  
top and a black skirt and boots with yellow trimmings that matched her hair  
color. Dammit, where had I seen her before!? I still swore she looked like she  
had just jumped right out of a computer or an anime page. She was like a  
computer program or drawing suddenly brought to life. She must have noticed my  
gawking because she started to giggle and once she had contained herself said,  
"What? Never seen and android before?" "I uh…um…no I haven't." I said at last.  
"Wait a minute, do I know you from somewhere?" I asked. "No, I don't think so.  
But I am based on a Vocaloid model called Rin, hence my name." she said.  
Vocaloid! No wonder she looked so familiar. In high school, I had been obsessed  
with anime and Vocaloid, and a girl named Rin had been the name of one of the  
female characters. Now here I was a soldier and an almost live model of a  
fictional character I had fantasized about was right in front of me! "That's  
it." I said as I again stared in amazement. She giggled again, and said, "You  
must really be new to androids." "Yeah…wait, so you know that you're an  
android?" I asked. "Yes, I'm self-aware. But I can do almost anything a normal  
human can do." She said. I was again amazed. There was something about this  
machine that just seemed….alive. "You sure don't act like you're an android." I  
said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were human." I said. "Thank  
you!" she said as she smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment. I'm programmed  
to simulate any and all human behavior. But I have my creator to thank for  
that, he's really done a great job with us all." "Us? How many more of you are  
there?" I asked. "Two," she replied. "Not copies of me, but other androids."  
She said. "Wow!" I said. "I know. Dr. Kagamine is really a genius isn't he?"  
she said. "Yeah I'll say. By the way, we were never properly introduced. I'm  
Corporal John Adams, but you can just call me John."I said extending my hand.  
"And I'm Rin 05367, but you can just call me Rin." She said as she flashed a  
smile and shook my hand. I was again amazed at how real it felt. I could feel  
the metal underneath the synthetic flesh, but I still felt that there was  
something more to her. "Now that were properly introduced, we can be best  
friends!" she said cheerily. "Haha, you sure do like to make friends fast don't  
you?" I said jokingly. "Of course! I'm gonna be around you for a while, so why  
not make a friend in the process?" she replied. "You got it!" I said. I still  
pondered about what it was that I noticed in Rin. All of the behavior she  
exhibited seemed too natural for any cybernetic being to ever be able to  
replicate. It seemed as if she was partially somehow alive….


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning I awoke to the familiar sound of reveille being played over the base's loudspeaker system. I quickly dressed in my PT uniform and ran outside to meet with the rest of the team for our physical training. While it was extremely strenuous at times, we all managed to push through it and keep going. However, it was a new sort of pt. To help us get used to our combat chips Kagamine had explained. After pt, we were given an hour to eat, shower, and be ready for training. I quickly showered after returning to my quarters. I still found myself constantly thinking of Rin. "She will certainly make a good friend if nothing else" I thought to myself. But there was more to it than I dared to admit for certain. I had no sooner finished breakfast and was on my way to formation with my team when I ran into Rin and the other two androids. "Morning John!" she greeted me warmly. "Morning Rin!" I smiled as I replied. "How was your first pt session? Is your chip working like it's supposed to?" she asked. "Great! I can definitely tell the chip is working fine too. I was able to do more this morning than I ever have." I replied. "Excellent! I'm really glad to hear that, and I know the doctor will be too!" she said warmly with that same bright smile. I was still awestruck at how well Dr. Kagamine had done with replicating the vocaloid version of rin into Rin herself. It was then that I noticed the other two androids leering obviously at me and saw them giggle slightly. "Oh, these are my friends Miku, and Teto." Rin explained as she introduced us. "Miku is assigned to Specialist Howard, and Teto to PFC Rogers." She explained. "Pleasure to meet you both." I said as I shook each of their hands. Again I noticed that same liveliness I had seen in Rin. "So where are you headed?" asked Miku, the blue haired android. "Formation, which I need to get to." I said as I looked at my watch. "Ok, well I'm supposed to show you around later today, so I'll catch you later!" Rin said as she caught me for a hug. "Say hi to Rogers for me if you don't mind…" Teto said before I walked off. "Will do girls! I'll see you a little later Rin!" I called as I walked off. It was then that I heard them all giggle and Miku say to Rin, "You never told us your WARRIOR was so cute!" I saw Rin blush out of the corner of my eye. Now I was really wary of all of this. My God, they were just like a bunch of real teenage girls! I swore they were so real at times, the only way I could tell that they were synthetic was by the red numbers stamped on their left arms. Rin's number had read "02." I could only assume that this was no coincidence because my call-sign in the team was Shadow 2. I still pondered all of these things as I walked to formation. Finally after our formation we went into some individual weapon shooting. It was then determined that I would receive corrective eye surgery the next day because of how poorly I had shot. 27 out of 40 targets was not satisfactory to myself, or the program. Though I was thankful that I'd be receiving the surgery, I was still frustrated with myself. The rest of the day was given to us to clean our weapons, and for our assistants to show us around the base. Shortly there-after, Rin came knocking at the door. "Hey, ready for the grand tour?" "Yep. Lead on." I said as I stood and followed her. While in the midst of the tour I took the opportunity to ask her some questions I had been curious about from the start. "So what is it you do here exactly?" I asked. "I'm kind of a personal assistant to the doctor mostly, but more recently to you now as well." She explained. Odd. I would have guessed that she would have been created for more than just that. She certainly seemed to be capable of so much more. "Cool. But what about that number on your arm? What does it mean?" I asked. "Oh that's my assignment number. I've had it ever since I was created. Dr. Kagamine says it corresponds to our team members, and I'm assigned to you, Shadow 2." So I had been right. "So what about Dr. Kagamine though, what's his story?" "He's one of the smartest people I know." She beamed. "He's originally from Japan, but he moved to the U.S. when he was in his twenties to study neuro-science and cybernetics. I think that was about the time that he did your surgery." Rin said. "Wow. Impressive." I said. Then finally it all slipped out, "What about you though? What's your story?" "Me!? You really wanna know about me!?" she asked in surprise. "Yeah I do. If you're gonna be my friend I gotta know a little about you." I said warmly. "Well, there's really not much to tell." She said sheepishly. "I was created on December 27th, 2012 according to my internal records, and was created for what I'm doing right now." She said with a smile. "That's it?" I asked. "Yeah, basically. But I do sometimes wish that I could really be human…." She said as her voice trailed off. Was I hearing right? She really wanted to be human! An android that wanted to be alive. But by God, how alive she already seemed! "You already seem pretty human to me." I said speaking my mind. "But it's all just pre-programmed…." She said. "I don't know. I don't think wanting to be human, could be pre-programmed into an android," I said. "Besides though, I'd say you basically have everything you need to really be human anyway." I said comfortingly. "No. I'm missing something." She said saddened. "What could you possibly be missing?" I asked. She then placed her hand in the center of my chest, and listened quietly, and then breathed the word, "Kokoro." "Koko-what?" I asked confused. "Kokoro. It's Japanese for heart." She said. "So that's what you're missing then? A heart?" "Yes." She replied as her eyes hit the floor. "I want to know what it feels like to have a heart-beat, to be able to feel, to be happy, to hurt, but most of all to love…." She said. "I see." I said as I again was awestruck. "But why is this so important to you?" I asked. "Because there's someone I want to be able to love, but how can I without a heart.." she said staring at my chest. I began to wonder who it was she spoke of, but it didn't take me long to figure it out. "Well heart or not, you're still perfect the way you are to me." I said trying my best to cheer her up. "You really mean that?" she asked. "Every word." I smiled. She smiled and hugged me tight in approval. I know it sounds strange, but I felt the best I ever had when I was around her. We had nearly everything in common, she was beautiful and kind, and we just seemed to click. I wondered was this simply part of her programming, or was there more to this than I, and maybe even Rin knew?


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, with Rin in tow, I reported to Kagamine's lab for my corrective eye surgery. Upon entering, Kagamine greeted us both with, "Ah, Rin! Corporal! Good to see you both! Come in please, I believe we have a lot to do." I took a seat on the operating table. Rin sat down next to me with her usual cheerful smile. "Well, it looks like you'll need some vision surgery today, yes Corporal?" Kagamine inquired. "Yes sir, can't be shooting like I did yesterday anymore." I replied. "Well I assure you that after today, you should shoot expert every time. Now, before we begin though, I'd like you to please slip this on for a moment." He said as he handed me a helmet that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. "What kind of a helmet is this?" I asked. "This is your personal helmet that you will wear with the rest of your Ground Air Tactical Recon armor, or GATR for short, after you have had the proper training and augmentations." "Augmentations sir?" I inquired. "Physical augmentations that will boost your muscle mass, stamina, thicken your bone density, and your sight and hearing will also be upgraded as well. Your augmentations on your eyes are being done today however." He replied. "Now, please put on your helmet so I can run a quick diagnostic, and so your combat chip can sync with your suits system." He said. Obediently I put on my helmet, and almost immediately the heads up display appeared. I could instantly see things like weapon information, ammo count, a motion tracker in the lower left corner, and strangely enough, a heartbeat sensor in the upper right corner. Instinctively I looked at Rin when I noticed this. She giggled at my appearance at first. Pt's with a powered helmet wasn't exactly practical. "Nice fashion choice you've got there soldier!" she said jokingly. "Aw hush Rin!" I teased back. It was then that I noticed something more. Upon looking at Rin, my helmet pulled up her vital signs as well. For tactical casualty care I assumed, but what was odd was that it was showing a heart rate. Could it be!? "Thank you Corporal, that will do. You can remove the helmet now." Kagamine said suddenly. I removed the helmet in confusion as to why he had instructed me to do so right as I had picked up on that strange anomaly. Or was it even an anomaly at all? Could Rin actually have a real beating heart? I snapped back to reality as Kagamine handed Rin a chip and said, "Rin please take this to the armory, and make sure the data gets off-loaded to John's armor." "Sure thing!" she said getting up. "Be right back." She said as she walked off. I looked at Dr. Kagamine strange for a moment, but he noticed my gaze and said, "Corporal I know what you saw on your HUD, and yes it is what you think it is." My jaw dropped in surprise. "You mean Rin, she has a real, I mean she's living!?" "Not quite Corporal, she's not entirely living, but yes she does have a beating heart just like you and I." Things finally made sense now. Why Rin seemed so real, and why I was so fiercely attracted to her. "You can't be serious Doctor! Why on earth would you put a real heart into an android though!? That's ri" "It's not ridiculous if it was already there Corporal." He cut me off. "You mean she was.." "Yes she was once very much alive as well." "How did she come into this program then?" I asked. "Because she's my daughter." He said. Again my jaw dropped in shock and awe. He then proceeded to tell me of the nearly fatal accident that had almost claimed Rin, Miku, and Teto, and how he had saved them in a manner of speaking by turning them into androids. "This is incredible!" I said as Kagamine prepared the machines for the surgery. "It would have been incredible if I had saved them in their complete living forms Corporal." He said. "But why model them after vocaloid characters?" I asked. "Rin was into anime and that sort of thing, and so were her friends. They were so badly burned after the accident that I had to re-construct their faces and bodies entirely. The vocaloid rin was always Rin's favorite, so I modeled her after that particular character." He said. "Miku and Teto were done the same way." He added. "Why do none of them know about this though?" I asked. "I had to erase their memories of their past lives completely in order to save them. It was the only way." "But you should tell them!" I protested. "All Rin wants is a heart to love with, but she doesn't even realize that she already has one!" I pleaded. Kagamine fixed me with a stern but saddened look, "Corporal, you must never tell Rin, or the other two of what really happened. It might be too much for them to handle, and it could overload their systems." "But isn't there anything that can be done?" I asked. "Not by me Corporal." He responded. My heart sank at this. "But YOU can do something Corporal." "What sir?" I asked. "Just treat her like you have been. Like a real living, breathing, human-being. Show her the love and compassion that I never could. Most importantly though, always remind her that her "Kokoro" is always closer than she thinks." I understood. All of the terrible things that had happened to Rin had nearly brought tears to my eyes. There are certain things like that that'll bring even a hardened soldier to the brink of tears. "And Corporal, one more thing…" Kagamine said as his voice became weak. "Yes sir?" I asked. "The one she spoke of that she wanted to be able to love…..that person is you." I was now completely in shock. "Me sir!?" I said in surprise. "Yes you son." The doctor said. "But, why?" I asked. "Because you've been the first person to actually treat her like a real girl in a very long time. Even though you two have only been together a short time, she's developed quite an affection for you because of the way you treat her. As her father, I'd like to thank you for that."he said weakly. "It's not a problem sir." I replied. I was at a loss for words at this turn of events. I couldn't believe that this was really happening. But then again, I knew that sometimes things like this happen for a reason, and that it is up to us to make a difference. "One last thing before we begin the procedure Corporal." He said finally. "What is it sir?" I asked. "Whatever happens, I want you to promise me you'll always take care of Rin if something should ever happen to me. She was assigned to you for a reason." "You have my word sir." I responded. "So what do I do from here though sir?" I asked. The doctor lowered his eyes, and then looked at me with a piercing gaze, "Just love her." He said. I was starry eyed once again. It was at that point that Rin came walking back in. Upon entering she asked, "Didn't miss anything did I?" Dr. Kagamine and I exchanged glances. I then turned my head to see Rin in a new beauty that I hadn't noticed before and smiled. "Nope. Didn't miss a thing." I said. I noticed a nod of approval out of the corner of my eye from Kagamine as I said this. "Well, now that Rin's back, are you ready to begin the procedure Corporal?" the doctor asked. "Yes sir!" I responded. "Very good. Now then, please look directly at this laser, and do not stop until I tell you." He said. I felt Rin squeeze my hand as the laser charged up. I couldn't help but smile once again. Then I saw the laser fire and looked directly at it. I felt a slight tingling in my eyes, and just as quick as it had begun it was over. My vision had somewhat blurred after all of this however. "That'll do John." The doctor said. "Now you'll need to sleep for a little while before you notice any improvement in your vision, but once you wake up tomorrow you should be seeing better than you ever have." He explained. "Sounds good sir." I said in reply. "Rin, would you take Corporal Adams back to his quarters please? I'd see you back myself Corporal but I have a few other matters I have to attend to." Kagamine said. I knew right away though it was just an excuse to give Rin and I more time together. Rin and I exchanged smiles, and then she helped me up . She took me by the hand, and walked me down the hall. "How do you feel?" she asked me. "Vision is still a little blurry, but I feel pretty good. Even better now that you're here here." I flirted. She blushed and said, "That's really sweet of you." Now I could really see what Kagamine had meant when he told me I was the first to treat her like a real girl in a while. She seemed so complimented by even the smallest thing. Finally we got back to my quarters, and Rin helped me into bed. "If you need anything, call me on the comms." She said. "Thanks. I sure will." I smiled. She was just about to turn to leave when I took her hand and said, "Rin?" "Yeah?" she asked as she knelt down beside me. "Remember when you told me about Kokoro?" "Yeah, why?" she asked. "Your Kokoro is always closer than you think it is…I just thought I should tell you that." I said following Kagamine's instructions. Rin seemed to tear up at this but then smiled brighter than I'd ever seen. She then wrapped her arms tightly around me, and kissed my forehead. "Thank you…so much. That really means a lot coming from you." She said affectionately. I really felt that this was how it was always meant to be. Rin and I were almost certainly made for each other, and we both knew it. It seemed like an eternity before she released me, and then said, "I never thought anyone else but the doctor would treat me like a real person, but today you proved me wrong, and I hope you know how much that means to me." "I do know." I replied. "But no matter what anyone else tells you, you're always alive in my eyes." I said. Rin hugged me once more, and then departed. I fell asleep shortly after, and dreamed of Rin. I couldn't believe it, but I already had extremely strong feelings for her. She was quickly becoming the center of every thought that I had. Little did I know however that Rin and I were really tied together in more ways than we knew…


	6. Chapter 6

I awoke the next morning to find that Kagamine had been correct. My vision was now better than I had ever imagined. I again dressed quickly for PT, and met with my team. "Hey Adams, how'd the surgery go?" asked Rogers who was my "WARRIOR buddy." "Great! I can see much better now. What'd I miss yesterday?" I asked. "Just some range time. I hear we're shootin again today too, but then some FTT shortly there-after." He said. "Cool, I'm lookin forward to seeing what we can do as a team." I responded. Rogers then got quiet, and then finally asked, "Hey Corproal, can I ask you something on the level?" "Yeah, shoot." I said. "Well I know it sounds strange, but you ever get the feeling that those android assistants of ours are a little more than androids?" "So you've noticed it too then?" I asked in surprise. "Yeah, I could almost swear Teto acts WAY too much like a real girl at times it's kinda freaky. Just yesterday, I caught her staring at me and then she blushed really bad when I looked back at her. Don't ge**t **me wrong, I don't mind her doin' that, she's gorgeous, but, it's just kinda strange for an android isn't it?" he said. "Yeah, it is." I said though I ultimately knew the real reason behind this. "Hey Corporal, would it sound kinda crazy though if I said I liked Teto as more than just, you know, as my assistant? Like I wanted to go out with her? I know, I know, it's crazy, but damn she's amazing! I've never met any chick like her! She's like the chick I've been waitin' to find forever!" "I dunno man. Hell, whatever floats your boat I guess." I said. "Hey c'mon man I've seen Rin lookin' at you just like Teto looks at me, I think she's got the hot's for you for sure!" Rogers teased. "Yeah I know. Matter of fact I know exactly what you're talkin about." I said. "Hell yeah! Sometimes I wonder though if it's just part of their programming to like us automatically, or if they're crazy about us for real. Maybe they were all human at some point though, wouldn't that have been cool as hell?" Rogers said. "Yeah it would." I replied as I already knew that it was already true. I wasn't sure I could tell Rogers or the rest of the team the truth however. Kagamine had trusted that information to me, and I couldn't bear the thought of accidentally hurting the girls with the truth, Rin especially. I further pondered these things in my mind all throughout pt, and the time I had for a shower and chow. I had grabbed my assault pack, body armor, and helmet and was on my way to the Humvee when I realized I hadn't seen Rin all day. Where was she? Was she ok? I was relieved when I found her in the motor pool waiting by my Humvee. "Hey, I wondered where you were." I said greeting her. "Hey! I was wondering the same thing!" she said catching me for a hug. "So what are we doin' today?" I asked as I hopped in the Humvee beside her. "Dr. Kagamine said you all would be qualifying with your respective weapons in your fire-team role." She replied. "Which means I'm shootin' machine guns today then." I said as a smile crossed my face. "Yep! You guessed it!"Rin said with a tone that was almost as excited as I was. "Oh, I almost forgot! This is your new weapon, pretty neat isn't it?" she said as she handed me a very tricked out M-60E4 machine gun. My eyes got wide, and I felt like a kid on Christmas. "Yeah, I'll say! Thanks!" "You're welcome!" she said pleased. "Oh yeah, and Dr. Kagamine also said he had something for us both a little later on. I don't know what it is, but he said to make sure you were with me when he gives it to me or us I mean." "Did he mention what it was?" I asked. "He wouldn't tell me, but he said we would really like it!" Rin said warmly. I was still caught up in that beautiful smile she always wore. Even though I knew of the terrible tragedy she had been through, it seemed as though nothing could ever taint that pure and innocent form of happiness she had. The rest of the ride we spent talking about anything and everything. I found out that she and I had more in common than I had realized even before. She shared my love of anime, heavy metal music, gaming, and even Cajun food! "How exactly does that work?" I asked. "When you eat I mean?" She giggled and said, "Well I can eat and taste food just like you can, I just don't really need it to survive like you do." She explained. "But how'd you get into Cajun food in the first place?" I asked. "I really don't know. I just kinda knew I liked it from the start, but hey who doesn't love fried food in general right?" she said with a laugh. "I know that's right!" I said as I joined her in laughter. Finally we arrived at the range. I was eager to see what I could do with this new weapon and my recent surgery. I was just about to head to my position to shoot when the range cadre said, "Hold up Adams, you're missing you're AG." I had forgotten all about needing an assistant gunner. "He's right John. Pick someone to AG for you quickly." Dr. Kagamine said. Without thinking twice I motioned Rin over to be my assistant gunner. "Why am I not surprised." Kagamine said with a laugh. As soon as Rin had been given body armor and a helmet with the proper eye and ear protection we were finally ready to shoot. Interestingly enough, Miku was spotting for Specialist Howard, and Teto for PFC Rogers. Only SGT. Wilkens was left without an assistant. It seemed strange, but I later found out why. "Firerers lock and load your weapons at this time." The tower loudspeaker sounded. I loaded the belt of 7.62mm rounds into the 60 and closed the feed tray cover as Rin checked and readied the rest of the ammo. "Ready to make some noise?" I asked as I turned my head to her with a grin. "You bet! I'll call out the targets for you as I see them" she replied. We then heard "Firers, rotate your selector levers from safe to fire and scan your lanes." From the tower. The first target then appeared, and I quickly locked onto it. RAT-TAT-TATA-TAT roared the 60 as I fired a burst into the target. It quickly dropped, and I waited for the next to appear. As the targets got increasingly more difficult I seemed to notice how much the surgery had helped, but even more amazing was how good Rin was at directing my fire. Whenever I was slightly off and missed, she always had exactly the right adjustments for me to make, and I hit the target every time before it went down following Rin's adjustments. We were like a team made in Heaven I concluded by how well we worked together. Finally the iteration was over, and I cleared my weapon. "Nice shooting!" Rin complimented me. "Thanks! But I sure couldn't have done it without you! I would have missed a few of those further targets if you hadn't given me those adjustments!" I said. She smiled, and we walked back to the ammo point to receive our scores. They then went down the line reading off each team member's scores. SGT Wilkens had shot 38 out of 40 targets with his M-4 rifle, SPC Howard had hit 36 out of 40 with his rifle, and 6/6 with his grenade launcher. Rogers, with Teto spotting for him, had hit a whopping 39 out of 40 with his sniper rifle. Finally it came to mine and Rin's score. We had hit an astounding 40/40 targets and still had ammo left at the end! We smiled approvingly at each other. I knew this only further proved that we were meant for each other. Dr. Kagamine then spoke to us all and said, "That was some fine shooting Shadow team! Now, I mentioned I needed to see each of the team members with their assistants after the qual. Rin and Adams, if you will follow me please, I'll begin with you both." We followed the doctor back to his equipment truck and waited for instructions. "John, Rin, I hope you know how lucky you two are to have each other as friends. I've never seen two people working as closely as you both. But now, I'm going to help you both take this a step further. John, your combat chip increases all of your mind's functions, but did you know that it can also sync to Rin's neuro-processor?" Rin and I looked at each other in surprise. "No-one ever fights alone in Shadow team. While you are in the field John, Rin will be back on base relaying intel, and updating your mission objectives. The beauty of this however, is that no radio, or even satellite communication will be necessary to do this. All the information will be sent directly from Rin's neuro-processor to your combat chip. This information will then be fed into your armor's systems, and will allow you to see all intel from friendly forces." Rin and I were astounded by this. "Remember when I said that there was a reason why you were assigned to each other? Well this is it." The doctor said. With that he withdrew the same device with which he had activated my combat chip. "This should only take a moment." He reassured us. With that, he flipped another switch, and I felt a strange sort of telekinetic connection form between myself and Rin. Finally when it was done, the doctor said, "Alright Corporal, put on your helmet again, and let's see if this worked." With that he handed me my GATR helmet, and I once again donned it. Once more, it came to life as I put it on, and I again picked up Rin's heartbeat. How I wished I could tell her that it was there, but I knew that as much as I wanted to it would do her more harm than good. All I could do was simply love her as Kagamine had instructed. "Alright Rin, now I want you to concentrate, and set a way-point for John to that tree over there." Kagamine said as he pointed to an oak tree not too far from where we stood. "Ok." Rin said as she took a deep breath and focused. "Corporal, you should see that way-point now." He said. Sure enough, there it was. "Solid copy Doc. Waypoint acquired." I said. "Excellent!" he said pleased. "The same will now be done with the other two androids and team members save for SGT Wilkens. His chip will be tied directly into Central Command. That is why he was never given an assistant." Kagamine explained. Rin and I again exchanged pleased smiles. "That is all for now. Please send SPC Howard and Miku over if you will please." He said. Rin and I walked back together in a newfound bond we knew that we now had. "It's really amazing isn't it?" she said wide-eyed. "You said it!" I said in response. "Who would have ever though that our minds could literally be synced to provide vital information on the battlefield? I mean this changes everything! No more worrying about the enemy listening in on radio chatter, no more…" "I was also kinda hoping it would change things on a bit more personal level too.." I heard her say suddenly. Had I heard right? "Sorry, I didn't catch that?" I asked. "Oh….uh…nothing…" she said with a disappointed tone. "Everything ok?" I asked worried. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said flashing a smile. "You sure? You know you can talk to me about anything." I said. She smiled at this and said, "Thanks. But if I told you you'd think I was just some silly girl…" she said. "No I wouldn't Rin. You are so much more than that!" I said reassuringly. She smiled again, and replied, "Ok, well can I talk to you about something maybe a little later? Now isn't this best time." She said with a hopeful tone. "My door is always open for you Rin. Day, night, rain, shine, a frigging nuclear war, you need me, I'll be there for you. You're my best friend, and I take care of my friends no matter what." I said smiling. She smiled and took hold of my hand at this. That was how we walked back to the group, hand-in-hand like it should be. We spent a few minutes just talking while Kagamine synced the rest of the team to their respective androids. I then ran through an urban ops course with my team once without power helmets, and then once with them and with the girls pin-pointing objectives for us. It all went extremely well, and everyone seemed satisfied with the results. We then headed back to our barracks and cleaned our weapons, ate chow, and bunked down. A long day on the range had exhausted us all, and we needed our rest. Then it donned on me. What was it Rin had wanted to speak to me about? I layed in my bunk and stared at the ceiling for a while wondering what she could have wanted to say to me. What was it she had said before that though? About being more connected on a personal level? I could only guess what it meant, but I truly hoped it meant what I thought it did. I was already deeply in love with Rin, but just couldn't seem to actually say it. Here I was a top-secret super-soldier in training, and I couldn't even tell the girl I loved how I felt about her. I felt ashamed, but I decided to wait until the right time to tell Rin how I truly felt. After all, she said she needed to talk to me about something, and so I could only assume she felt the same way. After all there were plenty of signs we had both picked up on, why couldn't it be love? Finally I fell asleep from drowning in my own thoughts about Rin, but the one word that kept echoing in my mind was "Kokoro…."


	7. Chapter 7

The next few months of training seemed to go by more quickly than any of us had anticipated. While it was the most rigorous training any of us had ever been through, we all emerged a highly motivated, tight-knit team of soldiers and androids. Shadow team had undoubtably become the most deadly fighting force in the special operations field as well. Our average clearing time for a building was 15.8 seconds thanks to our superior training, combat chips, and support from our android assistants. We had all become proficient on many other weapon systems other than our own as well. I could now effectively engage and hit a target at more than a mile with a sniper rifle, and Rogers could lob a 40mm grenade down a pickle barrel at 400 meters. We truly had exceeded every expectation of Kagamine and his scientists. In the midst of all of this success however, I found that Rin and I had grown much closer as well. It was extremely rare that she and I were not together as we now loved each other's company more than ever. We also noticed the same happening to Miku and Howard, as well as Rogers and Teto. Things were finally starting to add up, and I knew that it was now or never. It was time to tell Rin how I really felt about her. We had been through so much together in the past several months, and I knew that nothing could ever tear us apart. It was shortly after we had returned from a week long field training exercise that Dr. Kagamine announced that the team and I were ready for our augmentations. We were to have them done the next day in fact, and we would be on mandatory bed-rest for the next few days after, so I knew it was time to make my move. It was the afternoon before the procedure, and I was about to go and look for Rin, when I got a knock on my door. Sure enough, it was Rin herself. "Hey, I know it's been a long time, but remember that day on the range when I said I wanted to talk to you about something? Well, I think I'm ready to say what I need to say. Wanna take a walk with me?" she asked. I smiled as I got up to follow her. "I sure do. Matter of fact, I was just about to come find you to talk as well." I said. I saw her smile get even bigger in anticipation as I said this. "So what is it you wanted to tell me?" I asked. She took a deep breath and said, "John, you and I have been through a lot together over the past few months, and it's made me realize that I've had a much deeper and stronger connection to you than the neuro-connection." I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What I guess I'm trying to say is that I….I…I lo…Ouch!" she squealed suddenly. I turned quickly to see one of Kagamine's lab assistants named Budakai Yamato slap Rin on the butt and then flip her skirt up. Rin shrunk down in embarrassment at this, but I had had enough. I had seen this happen several times before, but had been advised to let it be and let Rin handle it by herself. But this was the last straw! "Good little robot! Now let me see some more of that ass!" Yamato ordered. This was the sort of behavior that had left Rin feeling so low about herself, and feel more like a worthless machine than a real human. Finally I exploded, and shouted, "YAMATO! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?" "Whoah! Relax Corporal! She's just a robot it's not like she…" "NOT LIKE WHAT!? LIKE SHE HAS FEELINGS!? IS THAT IT!?" I yelled as I grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Well of course she doesn't! She's just a machine! All fake! Not even a beating heart!" he said laughing. I saw Rin sink down to her knees and begin to cry upon hearing this as she was very sensitive about having a real heart. But that was it for me. I reared back my first and punched Yamato hard across the jaw. He collapsed onto the floor with a thud, then I jerked him to his feet again and said in his face, "RIN IS AN ANDROID! NOT SOME SIMPLE FUCKING "ROBOT" AS YOU DESCRIBED HER! SHE'S A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN THAT, AND PROBABLY A BETTER SCIENTIST THAN YOU'LL EVER BE!" I was referring to the work she and the other two androids had done in the science lab with Dr. Kagamine in the past two months. In fact it was Rin herself who had in-geniously modified my armor so that I could move just as freely in it as I could if I wasn't wearing it at all. "Now I believe you owe my assistant an apology." I said regaining my composure. "I…uh…I'm.." Yamato stuttered. "NOW!" I yelled. "My apologies Ms. Rin. That will not happen again!" With that I saw Rin wipe her eyes, and slowly rise to her feet and nod her head re-assuringly. "Now if you EVER try anything like that again to Rin or Miku or Teto, I'll get the whole team together, and we'll beat you to a pulp!" I warned Yamato. "Now get out of my sight before I break the other side of your face!" I said as he ran off. I then turned to Rin who was still pulling herself together. I could only guess that she, Miku, and Teto had been forced to endure that sort of treatment prior to the arrival of my team and I. Frankly, I couldn't blame them for how sensitive they were to being treated like a machine instead of a real human. Though they didn't realize it, they had been human before, and I could certainly see how it would sting being treated as anything different. I was disgusted by the very thought of all this. I then wrapped my arms tightly around Rin as she buried her head into my chest. "I'm sorry about that." I said. "I told that bastard to quit messing with you, but he obviously doesn't like to listen to anything but a fist in his face." Rin slowly lifted her head and smiled up at me. "I love you." She said quietly. Had I really heard right!? "Say again?" I asked awestruck. "I love you." She repeated with a brighter smile. "That's what I've been wanting to tell you." She said. My God, I had heard right! "What was it you wanted to tell me?" Rin asked. I smiled and replied, "That I love you too." She shed a single tear of joy and pressed her lips against mine. Then there in that moment, everything seemed to disappear except me and her. Nothing else mattered except the fact that we were together, and meant to be. Android and human, human and android, it didn't matter. We were meant to be with each other and nothing would ever separate us. We had a connection to each other both mentally and emotionally that no-one could ever comprehend but us, and it was for this reason that we were meant to be together. "My heart's pounding…" I said finally speaking my mind. Rin winced at this statement, but still looked lovingly at me with those bright beautiful blue eyes I'd come to love. I somehow knew right away what to say. "Always remember your Kokoro is closer than you think Rin, but never forget that you'll always have mine too." She again shed a tear of happiness and kissed me softly. "Heart or not, I've never felt so alive and real. You make me feel like a real girl, and so full of life. I love you so much." She said lovingly. "I love you too Rin." I said. And that was how we spent the rest of the day, pouring out our feelings for one another that we had kept hidden away for far too long. It was a sweet release for us both, and from that day forward, there was a new bond between us that we knew could never be broken….


	8. Chapter 8

I awoke the next morning still starry eyed from the events of the previous day. Rin and I had spent the rest of the previous day enjoying each-others company, and finally ending with watching the sunset together on top of the air control tower. I was so in love with Rin now it was almost un-real. I deeply wished I could spend the whole day with Rin again, but I knew that the augmentations were to be done that day. At least the team and I would be on bed rest for a few days after the augmentations though, and I was sure that Rin and I would have plenty of time together then. I dressed, shaved, and headed to Dr. Kagamine's lab. Rin met me half way to the lab since her room was closer to the lab. We both smiled brightly as we caught each other for a quick embrace and a kiss. "Morning love." She said sweetly. "Morning beautiful." I said in response. We walked to the lab hand in hand, exchanging smiles. Though we walked in silence, we really didn't need to speak. We were both feeling the same powerful love for each other, and words simply couldn't describe how much we cared for each other. Upon reaching the lab, we found Kagamine preparing the equipment as he spoke with SGT Wilkens. Interestingly enough though, Miku and Howard seemed to have experienced the same revelation as Rin and I had the night before. The same could also be said for Rogers and Teto. Rin and I exchanged smiles at this sight. "Looks like they had the same idea." I joked. Rin responded by smiling and laying her head on my shoulder. "Hey Corporal! Ready for the augmentations?" Rogers asked as Kagamine instructed us to remove all clothing except for our boxers, and lie and on the operating tables. "Sure am! How bout' you?" I asked. "Hell yeah dude! After last night, I feel like I could take on the whole PLA by myself!" he said as he smiled at Teto. Teto blushed, but then returned his smile and took his hand. "I think I know what you mean." I said as I smiled at Rin. "Speak for yourselves!" SPC Howard said as he smiled up at Miku who was stroking his head. Rin then proceded to help Kagamine with the final adjustments on the machines that were to perform my surgery. "You two are certainly in a good mood this morning." Kagamine observed. "Just happy to have such an amazing guy in my life." Rin responded with a smile. Kagamine nodded approvingly. I was almost sure he already knew how we felt about each other. Finally once we were all in place Kagamine said, "Alright WARRIORS, today is the day all of that training pays off. Today you will be receiving your augmentations. While this surgery is going to put you out of commission for a few days, it will give you unsurpassed physical prowess once you recover. Girls, if you would please step beside your WARRIOR and wait for my signal." Rin moved over to the control panel by my table and looked at me again with those bright blue eyes I loved. She looked worried though. "Everything ok?" I asked. "Just a little concerned." She admitted. "Well don't be. Besides, I feel even better about all this knowing you're the one operating the machine." I smiled reassuringly. She seemed comforted by this, and she took my hand, and kissed me on my forehead like before. "Alright WARRIORS, sound your ready!" Kagamine called. We then sounded off. "Shadow 1 ok!" called Wilkens. "Shadow 2 ok!" I bellowed. "Shadow 3 ok!" called Howard. "Shadow 4 ok!" called Rogers. "On my go girls," Kagamine said. "5..4…3…2…1..mark!" he called as he pressed the go button on Wilkens's machine. Rin, Miku, and Teto did the same on mine, Howard's and Rogers' panels as well. The machines buzzed, and then came to life. They then began to inject a series of chemicals into each of our bodies that burned as they entered our blood-streams. We all groaned in pain, but pushed through it as we had learned to do. It went on for an agonizing 45 minutes, but seemed like an eternity to us all. Finally it was over. I was breathing heavy, and was very weak from everything. "Back it off girls, that's it." Kagamine said. Rin punched a red button on her control panel, and then rushed to my side. "Are you ok?" she asked worried. "Well, I feel like hammered garbage, but yeah I'm ok. Even better now that you're here." I smiled weakly. Rin returned my smile, and stroked my cheek. "Well WARRIORS, I'm sure you're probably feeling pretty weak after everything you've just gone through, but believe me when I say that all of this is going to be very profitable for you all. Once you have fully recovered, your physical abilities will be on par with your mental abilities thanks to your combat chips. Then, once you begin training with your armor, your transformation will be complete. You will then be the most lethal and fearsome fighting force the world has ever seen!" Kagamine said pleased. "Now then, girls if you would help your WARRIORS back to the infirmary, I would greatly appreciate it. I will allow you all to return to your quarters in the morning, but I'd like to keep you in the infirmary to monitor you all for the time being." Kagamine explained. I slowly sat up, because of how weak I felt. Rin helped me up and helped me walk over to my bunk in the infirmary. "Sure you'll be ok?" she asked concerned. "I'll be fine." I smiled re-assuringly. "Ok, I'll be close by if you need me ok?" she said with a caring tone. "OK." I said in reply. I spent the rest of the day resting, and talking with Rin who was always close by like she had said. Kagamine and the girls were constantly monitoring our heart rates, and other vital signs for any irregularities as well, but everything seemed to be fine. Then finally the next day we returned to our quarters. Of course Rin and I spent most of the time I had on bed-rest together. We didn't know how long we would have together once our armor training was complete and the team was officially activated. We were both well aware of how long and dangerous my missions could be, and we would be running the risk of never seeing each other again. Ultimately though we knew the risks, we felt being with each other during the time we had outweighed the negative aspects. It was during this time that I found out a little more about the doctor and a little more about Rin as well. I was in Dr. Kagamine's lab one day for a private individual exam on my augmentations and needless to say, what I learned surprised me even further. "Everything looks excellent Corporal." Kagamine said after running a diagnostic on my vital signs. We then tested my strength. "Alright Corporal, try lifting that set of weights." The doctor instructed. It weighed about fifty pounds, but only felt like ten. "Not heavy enough for you?" the doctor smiled. "Not nearly!" I replied. We then tried other weights, and with ease, I was able to pick up well over 800 lbs on my own! "Very impressive! Your body has taken to the augmentations better than I had anticipated!" Kagamine said pleased. I had also noticed these changes in myself as well. I now looked like a body builder with years of training. I also noticed I could give more than I ever could in any and all physical activity. It was then that Kagamine attempted to smash a baseball bat over my head. Instinctively I reacted by blocking it with a high block. Much to my surprise, the bat broke cleanly in half when it impacted my arm. "What the hell was that for Doc!?" I asked in surprise. "Testing your bone thickness, and reflexes. By the looks of things they've also come out quite well." Kagamine said. I was again taken aback by just how unbelievable it was, but also that it was real. "Well Corporal, I'd say the augmentations have been successfully been applied. I'm clearing you to return to duty for armor training starting tomorrow." Kagamine said. "Sounds good Doc. What's the armor going to be like?" I asked in curiosity. "Your armor will further boost your speed, stamina, strength, and provide you with the best protection on the battlefield. The entire shell is completely bullet-proof, radiation resistant, and is vacuum-sealed so it can be used under-water or in space." Kagamine explained. "Sounds neat!" I said excited. "By the way Corporal, how are things between you and Rin?" Kagamine asked suddenly. "Great! I know it sounds crazy, but I can honestly say that I love her with every last bit of me." I said. Kagamine smiled. "I can certainly tell John. She speaks very highly of you, and says that even though she knows she is not alive, she feels as though she is a real girl when she is with you. You really have made her feel special John, and that's more than I could ever ask of you. From a father's standpoint, it is truly comforting to see Rin being loved the way she should be. Thank you for that John." Kagamine said. "It's no problem sir." I said. "Doctor, I've been wondering, what was yall's story before WARRIOR? I mean, how did you and Rin come to America that is?" I asked. "It is somewhat of a long story Corporal, but I'll do my best to explain. I worked for a scientific institute specializing in neuro-science, and cybernetics on Kyushu, Japan for a few years before I met Rin's mother. She was a U.S. Marine stationed on Okinawa. It was through her that I began contracting for the U.S. military. Eventually, I married her, and Rin was born shortly after. My wife died giving birth to Rin unfortunately. I miss her dearly, and Rin is all I have left of her." "So that makes Rin part Japanese, and part American then?" I asked. "Yes Corporal, that is also why she can speak fluent Japanese and English." "What about Kokoro? How did that come about?" I asked. "From the time Rin was a child, I had always told her that she had a very strong heart, or Kokoro, and also to trust it whenever she was in doubt. Then after the accident, and after Rin became self-aware, she remembered Kokoro, and that it was what made a human truly human." Kagamine explained. "Remembered? I thought you erased her memories?" I asked. "Most of them Corporal. But she can still remember some. It is still there buried deep in her memory unit, but a certain code is required to access it." He explained. "But when was it you both came to America?" I asked. "About the time you were born as a matter of fact." He said. "Rin wasn't born until about two years after you were, but she was born here in the U.S." Kagamine explained. "I performed your and the other team member's surgeries at birth after being contracted into the program." "Guess that explains a lot." I said. The doctor then lowered his head, and stared off into the distance. "There's something you're not telling me isn't there Doc?" I asked. "Yes Corporal there is. There is another reason that I came with my family to the U.S. I had only begun to create and refine my inventions such as your combat chip and armor, and the U.S. wasn't the only one that saw the potential of these as weapons. There was a terroristic organization that threatened death on my family if I did not surrender these technologies to them, and so I fled the country to America hoping that it would keep my family safe. This is the reason why I made you swear to protect Rin no matter what John. I have long feared of being tracked down by that same group, and them hurting my daughter." Kagamine explained. I boiled over at the thought of someone wanting to hurt Rin. Over my dead body! "They'll have to go through me first if they want Rin sir, and believe me when I say I can put up one hell of a fight!" I said. "Hopefully that won't ever be necessary Corporal." Kagamine said in response. I hoped so as well. I walked back to my quarters trying to process all of this new information I had just been given. Rin was waiting for me when I got there. "What's wrong?" she asked concerned. I was amazed at how well she could read my emotions. "It's nothing Rin, I'm fine." I said. She then fixed me with a look that clearly meant she didn't believe me. "John I know you way better than that, now what's really going on?" I sighed, and said, "Just had a really bad thought today…." I said. "Of?" Rin asked in confusion. "Of what might happen if anyone ever tried to hurt you, or even worse, if I ever lost you." I said. Rin looked at me with that same gaze I had seen on the day she told me she loved me. "You don't ever have to worry about that. I'm not going anywhere. And I know I've got you to protect me if someone ever does try and hurt me." She said with a smile. "I love you John, and I always will." She said. "I love you too Rin." I said as I held her tight. We spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing but simply being with each other. It was times like these that I wished time would stand still. I was still somewhat haunted by what Kagamine had told me however. What kind of cold bastard would try to use Kagamine's only daughter to get back at him? I didn't know what to expect in the coming days, but I knew that I would have to keep my guard up now more than ever. If anyone wanted Rin, they would have an extremely ill-tempered WARRIROR super-soldier to fight off first….


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning shortly after PT, it was time to don our armor for the first time. My team and I made our way to the armory unsure of what to expect. We had all worn our helmets previously, but had never been able to don the full suit until now. Upon reaching the armory, we found Dr. Kagamine along with the girls making final adjustments on our armor. "Good morning WARRIORS!" Kagamine greeted us. "Today you'll be donning your full suit of armor for the first time. Please make your way over to your assistants, and we will begin shortly. I walked over to where Rin was standing; next to a full powered suit of armor. It was menacing in appearance, and was trimmed in the same shade of yellow as Rin's hair and the the trimmings on her skirt and boots. I also noticed the number "02" emblazoned in red on the left shoulder pauldron and the team's grim reaper emblem on the right. I was truly impressed by the armor's appearance, but what could I do once inside of it? I greeted Rin with a hug and kiss like usual. "What do you think of the armor?" she asked. "Impressive!" I said. "You wouldn't have anything to do with those yellow trimmings on it though would you?" I asked flirtatiously. "Ummm….maybe…" she replied smiling mischieviously. "I hope you don't mind." She said. "Not at all." I responded. "It reminds me of you." I smiled. She returned my smile, and began to show me a little more about the armor. "You already know about the helmet systems, but the rest of this suit is pretty neat too. While wearing it, you should be able to run at speeds reaching well over 50 mph, lift at least 100 times your own weight, and the entire suit is completely bulletproof, radiation resistant, and is vacuum sealed. You'll literally be a walking tank once inside of this thing." She said proudly. "You'll be perfectly safe inside of it too." She added with affection. "Sounds good. But I feel better knowing that you'll be back here away from the fight too." I said returning her affection. "Oh yeah, and you'll need to put this on before you get into the armor." Rin said handing me a black body suit. "What is it?" I asked. "It's the part of the suit that'll make it sealed, and basically your new uniform." She said. We were all then instructed to put on the black body suits, and prepare to don the armor. I felt somewhat strange taking off my shirt and pants in front of Rin. She blushed slightly when I removed my shirt, but I caught her staring more than a few times. I laughed and said, "What are you lookin' at?" playfully. "Well you of course!" she said giggling. "You've gotten big!" she said in admiration. "Augmentations'll do that to ya!" I joked. She giggled again and said, "Yeah I bet!" "But I must be the luckiest android on base." She said suddenly. "Why's that?"I asked as I finished donning the body suit. "Because I've got a super-ripped, super-smart, WARRIOR soldier for a boyfriend!" she said catching me for a hug. "Then I guess that makes me the luckiest WARRIOR on base, cause' I got a super-beautiful, super-smart, android as a girlfriend!" I said in response. "Alright you two, break it up. We've still got to get John into his armor. You two can make out later." Kagamine scolded us. "Yes sir." We said in unision as we released each other flashing smiles of embarrassment. Rin then moved over to a control panel, and the armor was split into various sections. "Ok, go ahead and step onto the foot-prints over there." Rin instructed as I moved to a set of yellow footprints painted on the ground. "Ok, now I need you to hold both of your arms out, and stay still while the armor locks into place." "Roger that." I said. Rin pressed a button on the control panel, and the machine began locking, and snapping my armor into place. In seconds my whole body was encased in a bullet-proof outer shell save for my head. Immediately I could feel the armor's sheer power. Rin then walked over, and handed me my helmet. "Alright, go ahead and put on the helmet, and let's see how this thing works when it's all together." Obediently I donned my helmet, and immediately my HUD appeared again. The only difference was now I was in full armor. "Everything looks good so far." Rin said jotting down results. "Move around a little, and get a feel for it." She urged. I then walked a few steps, raised my arms and legs a few times, and even tried jumping a few times. Much to my surprise, the suit seemed like it was actually part of me. Every move I made was flawless, and felt as if I wasn't even wearing it at all! I discovered I could move much more quickly, jump even higher, and do many other things I never knew I could with the armor on. It also quickly became apparent that the armor had more gadgets than a swiss army knife. For starters, in addition the aforementioned tech, the helmet was also able to filter out chemicals like a gas mask, the whole armor was EMP resistant, and to even further boost our secrecy, every suit was equipped with a state of the art stealth system. With an activation from the wearer, a stealth field would completely cover the armor, making us nearly invisible. Furthermore, the black body suits also aided to this as well masking our thermal image, and regulating temperature inside of our armor. "What can't this thing do?" I asked Rin in awe. Rin giggled. "Well, I don't suppose it can cook or clean." She joked. "Nope, but if it did, then I'd marry it!" I said flirtatiously. Rin raised an eye-brow and put her hand on her hip expectatantly. "I'm just kidding! No powered suit of armor could ever replace you." I said. Rin smiled. "How's the armor so far Corporal?" Kagamine asked as he approached Rin and I. "Great sir!" I replied. "Excellent! Rin, how about that analysis?" he asked turning to Rin. "Everything checks out. The armor is working perfectly!" she said pleased. "That's great news!" the doctor responded. "Alright, Corporal move over with the rest of the team to the zapper." Kagamine said. "What's the zapper sir?" I asked in confusion. "You'll see." Kagamine laughed. I stepped beside my team on the "zapper" and waited for something to happen. The next thing I knew, machine guns opened fire on us. We all instinctively hit the dirt, but we all knew we had been hit at least once. Ironically though, our armor had done its job marvelously. Not a single scratch on the armor itself, and none of us had even felt the round impact. "Excellent WARRIORS! That should give you a little more confidence in your armor now!" the doctor said with a mischievious grin. "Yes sir." We all said begrudgingly as we rose to our feet muttering curses. I looked over to the control board to see Rin uncovering her eyes and breathing a sigh of relief. "Doctor, if it's not too much to ask, would you mind not shooting my boyfriend please?" Rin asked worried. "Same here!" Teto and Miku agreed. "Alright, girls you have my word, I won't shoot at your boyfriends anymore. I just needed to test their armor….and strike a little fear into them hehehe!" Kagamine laughed jokingly. We then ran through a series of more tests that tested our newfound strength, agility, and reflexes in our armor. We also ran through another urban operations course Kagamine had invented recently with special hologram projections for opfor. Between the armor systems, and the aid from our assistants, we scored better on the course than we ever could have hoped to on our best days. Finally we tested the stealth systems infiltrating the course undetected and stealing an enemy document. It was truly remarkable what we were now able to do. Finally, the training was over for the day. I made my way back over to Rin to remove the armor. "I'm impressed!" she said as I removed my helmet. "Same here!" I replied. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself doing the stuff I just did!" I said pleased. "So are we still on to hang out tonight?" Rin asked as she began removing the armor. "You bet!" I said smiling. "Wish I could take you out on a real date rather than just hanging out around the base though." I said at last. "Oh, don't worry about that." She said in response. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are." She smiled. I couldn't help but feel warm inside. Here was a girl who truly wanted to be with me for who I was, and I with her for the same reason. I smiled back and said, "I know, but I still wanna do something special for you. One of these days, I'm gonna get us a real date, and that's a promise!" "Ok! I'll hold you to that." Rin said in response. Kagamine then walked by and asked how the armor had performed once again. I gave him the same answer I had as before, telling him how superb it was. "Excellent news Corporal! Simply outstanding!" It was then that he was joined by a young Japanese boy no older than twenty. "Oh yes, I nearly forgot to introduce you both to Cho. He just came over from Japan to aid me in the final stages of the project. Cho, this is Corporal Adams, and his assistant Rin." Cho bowed low to us both. While Rin smiled and greeted him with her usual friendly demeanor, I wans't so quick with pleasantries. Something about him just didn't add up. I fixed him with a stern gaze, known by many as the "thousand yard stare," and nodded. Kagamine and Cho then departed leaving Rin and I alone. Rin must have noticed my apprehensiveness, because she asked, "You ok?" "Yeah….but that Cho feller….there's just somethin' about him that just don't add up…" I said. Rin giggled slightly. "What's so funny?" I asked wondering what could possibly be funny about that. "Your accent." She said flirtatiously referring to my thick southern drawl. "You're cute when you talk!" she said prodding me in the ribs. I smiled slightly. "If you say so." I said in response. We walked hand in hand to our ususal hang out spot while I still pondered about this new "assistant" Kagamine had obtained. Though I tried my best to have a good time, Rin still noticed how uptight I was. "Hey, you alright?" she finally asked. "I don't know." I replied. "It just seems kinda odd the Doc would have a new lab assistant come in this late in the project." "I'm sure the doctor has a good explanation for it, but yeah I agree, it is a little odd…" Rin said in agreement. We spent the rest of the day pondering this new strange turn of events, and trying to figure out what might be the reason behind it. I was also haunted once again by what the doctor had told me earlier, about the organization that sought to use Rin against him. The biggest fear that I now had was that Cho might be an agent working for that organization. All I could do was simply stay vigilant, alert, and mindful. Rin was my whole world, and I was determined to keep her safe, even if it meant my life to save hers….


	10. Chapter 10

Training with the armor went on for about another month until we were finally deemed ready. We had refined and perfected our techniques, mastered our equipment, and could now handle any situation we were given with ease. We all met in Kagamine's lab once more to debrief and review our training results. "Well WARRIORS, I must say I'm quite impressed. Between your superior training, equipment, and team work between your team members and assistants, I would dare say you have truly exceeded our expectations for this project. I take great pride in knowing that I was able to work with each of you, and now it is time to officially activate this unit." Kagamine said as he unveiled the team's official banner, a black flag with the grim reaper's emblem emblazoned in red just like on our armor. The reaper clutched an M-4 assault rifle with his other hand extended out towards those he sought to kill. Below the reaper was the numbers 01 through 04 emblazoned in red. The very top however read "simul pugnare" which is Latin for "together we fight." "The reaper symbolizes the extreme lethality of the team, as well as adds to the overall shock value. The numbers below indicate the team members and their respective assistants, but most importantly however, is your team's motto on the top. Simul pugnare. Together we fight. Always remember that no-one ever fights alone in Shadow team, and that only together will you achieve your missions. Excellent work to you all, and it has been a pleasure and privilege to work with each and every one of you." Kagamine said. We all exchanged smiles in approval. It was then that we were finally introduced to our commander, Colonel Brian Sharp. He was a seasoned green beret, and had extensive experience in Delta Force and the like. We all quickly grew to respect him. "Now then, I know you all have been worked very hard over these past three months, so I am willing to give you all a little break before you get to work."Kagamine said. We all looked at each other in confusion. "What I'm saying is, that I'm giving you the rest of the weekend off to do as you see fit. In other words, go to Vegas! Have fun! SGT, go and have a drink, and Adams, Howard, and Rogers, why not take the girls out for a little while too? I believe they could use some R and R as well!" Kagamine said. I looked at Rin and smiled. She returned my smile quickly because she already knew what I had in mind. "Dr. you can't be serious letting the androids out in public like this! There's a security risk involved, and they'll draw too much attention!" the Colonel protested. "I don't think so Colonel." The doctor said in response. "The annual comic-con festival is going on right now in Vegas, and seeing as the girls are based off of Vocaloids, they'll fit right in. As far as anyone knows, they're simply cos-players…accompanyied by their boyfriends, right WARRIORS?" Kagamine said looking over at Rogers, Howard and I. "Yes sir!" we said in unision. The Colonel sighed, and then said, "Alright, but I still don't like it. You men had best be VERY careful out there, and you'd better not do anything stupid!" he warned. We all responded with a "Yes sir!" Finally upon returning to our quarters, Rin and I began planning our weekend in Vegas. "Did he really say comic-con!?" she asked excited. "Yeah, he sure did!" I said. Rin squealed with excitement. "I've always wanted to go to one as far as I can remember! I mean, I know I was programmed to like that kind of stuff, but still!" she said with excitement. "Yeah I know! I'm just happy to be able to get off post and go spend some time with you." I smiled. "You said it." She said in response. "Now I can finally take you on that date like I promised." I said. Rin smiled again and put her hand over mine. "So what'd you have in mind?" she asked. "I was thinkin' dinner and a movie maybe." I said. "Sounds great! But what do you say to an arcade instead of the movies? I've been dying to go to one of those! Besides, everybody goes to the movies, but who goes to the arcade?" she said. "Definitely! And I guess we do!" I said in response with a laugh. I was once in awe once again at Rin's interests. Here was a girl who would rather be at an arcade rather than the movies. She was certainly a once in a life-time kind of girl. Though I still realized she was partially synthetic, she was still very much alive in my eyes. How I still wished I could tell her of the truth though. I knew that her "Kokoro" was MUCH closer than she realized, and that it was still beating and very much alive. I hoped that one day I would be able to tell her, and that then she would finally realize that she was so much more than just a "machine" as she had been described by some. The next morning we awoke and were able to relax for the first time in months. I took my time getting dressed in my blue jeans and Monster Jam t-shirt that I hadn't been able to wear in ages. It felt strange being in civilian clothes again, but I was glad to not be in a uniform of some sort for once. What was even stranger though was how odd I felt being out of my armor. All of us WARRIORS had noticed this as well. We felt somewhat uncomfortable without it on at times, like we were more vunerable. But after being in it for such a long time, we all were glad to be back in our civies for a little while. Rin and I then met up by the lab ready to catch a cab to the strip. Rin laughed slightly when she saw me. "You look…different." She said. "I've never seen you in anything but your armor, or fatigues." She said at last. "Yeah I know. I dare say that this is a bit more comfortable though." I smirked. We both laughed and walked hand in hand to the cab station. Finally once we arrived in the strip, we headed to the casino where the comic-con was being held. Upon entering, Rin got quite a few stares. "You look just like a Vocaloid!" people said in amazement. Miku and Teto got similar remarks, as they accompanied by Howard and Rogers were with us as well. We spent the majority of the day walking around the convention area with the girls leading the way. Finally we all split off to go our own ways. Rin and I headed off for our date like I had promised her. We ate at one of the best restaurants on the strip, and finally made it to the arcade. We found that Howard and Miku as well as Rogers and Teto had gotten the same idea. We spent an hour or two playing various games, but then the girls spotted a dance dance revolution game. As they all storked off to play it, I sat down with Howard and Rogers to watch the girls. We were amazed at how good they were at it. They were androids after all, but we were still amazed. The girls then tugged us all up and said, "Alright boys, you're turn!" "Aw no Rin, you know I can't dance!" I protested. "Oh come on it'll be fun! Do it for me?" she said puffing her lip out and making a pity face. "Oh no, I'm not falling for that again! I mean, er…not with the face, and the eyes, errr…alright! I'll do it!" I said giving in. Rin smiled pleased. "C'mon, you know you love me!" she said as she prodded me in the ribs. "More than you know!" I said in response. Accompanied by my two other team mates, we tried our best at the dancing game, but only succeeded in getting quite a few laughs from the girls and the other arcade go-ers due to our poor dancing abilities. I walked over to Rin with a smirk and said, "Told you so!" She was still laughing so hard she could barely contain herself. Finally when she had come to she said, "I gotta teach you how to dance, soon!" she said as she caught me for a hug. "Hahaha! You can try!" I said flirtatiously. We spent the rest of the night enjoying each-others company, but eventually Rin and I split off from the group to be alone. It was definitely one of the best nights of my life as we sat together atop one of the casinos seeing Las Vegas lit up in all its glory. Rin embraced me, and kissed me softly. It was a long and sweet kiss, and one that I never forgot. It was a moment that would stay with me for as long as I lived because of how beautiful the emotions we felt for each other were. Those emotions were pure and true love and nothing else. I also noticed that night how human indeed Rin really was. She was just like any other teenage girl spending a night in Vegas with her boyfriend. She truly was a miracle, and it was for this reason that I never wanted to be with anyone else….


	11. Chapter 11

The next day we returned back to the base re-energized from the time we had off. We all knew that it was now time to get down to business, and that soon it would be time for our team's first mission. Rin seemed worried now more than ever, but always calmed down when I'd take her hand and smile re-assuringly. The next week or two was spent running training missions, and the team and I were rarely out of our armor. We all found ourselves wondering who we would be sent to fight, and on which continent as well. Little did we know we would soon find out. It was a late afternoon as Rin and I were running a few diagnostics on my armor when we heard someone speaking in Japanese. I recognized the voice as Cho's, and I didn't like how suspicious he sounded. I motioned for Rin to monitor what he was saying through my combat chip as I activated my armor's stealth field and quietly crept into the next room. Cho appeared to be speaking into some kind of satellite radio, and it certainly didn't look like U.S. military equipment. "Any idea what he's saying?" I asked Rin over the suit's comms. "I…I don't believe this!" She said in disbelief. "He's leaking information! Giving away the information on the program!" she said. "That bastard! I knew he was up to something!" I said. With that I yanked him away from the radio and slammed him hard to the ground. Rin rushed in quickly and stood behind me. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" I demanded. "Well Corporal, I not expect you!" he said with his thick accent. "Don't bullshit me! I know just as well as you do what you've been up to!" I said furiously. He seemed to laugh at this and said, "You all making big mistake. You all die soon!" he smirked. "No. You'll be the first to die you slimy son of a bitch!" I screamed drawing my .44 caliber Desert Eagle. "You kill me maybe, but you all die eventually!" he said. "You shut up! You couldn't kill any of the WARRIRORS if you tried, John especially!" Rin said defiantly. Cho then smirked, and said something to Rin in Japanese. She seemed to become very upset at this and clung tightly to me. "ENOUGH!" I yelled. "This ends NOW!" I said pointing my sidearm menacingly at Cho's head. "Corporal? Rin? Cho? What's going on here?" Dr. Kagamine said suddenly entering. Cho bolted for the door. I attempted to fire, but he pushed Kagamine in the would be kill-zone. "Sir do you realize that your "assistant" is really a spy!?" I asked in disbelief. "That's quite an accusation John, do you have any.." "Here, is this proof enough?" I said showing him the radio. Kagamine stared wide eyed, and then became very worried. "Corporal, gather the rest of the team, and get the girls down to the bunker. I fear you are right. I will go and confront Cho personally, but I want you and the team suited up and ready to detain him when I give you the signal." He said sternly. "Yes sir!" I said as I motioned for Rin to follow me. As we headed to the armory to retrieve the rest of my weapons I radioed the rest of the team, "Shadow Team, Shadow 2, code gray is in effect. I say again code gray!" Code gray meant an infiltration of the base, and for the team to lock down the lab and other sensitive areas. It also meant for the girls to proceed to the bunker where they would monitor our mission and give us the intel we would need. The team met Rin and I at the armory where we drew our weapons, and made sure our armor was set. We then escorted the girls to the bunker. We cleared the bunker before the girls entered to ensure it hadn't been infiltrated. Finally the girls manned their consoles that would allow them to see our helmet cam footage, and communicate with us through our comm systems. I was getting Rin settled in, when finally my curiosity overcame me. "Rin? What was it that Cho said to you that got you so upset?" I asked calmly. I saw tear roll down her face as she said, "He said that you and I could never always be together. He said that because I'm synthetic, that I'll continue to live on for years and years, but that you would eventually die, and I'd be left alone…forever….." As much as I hated to admit it, Cho had a point. What would happen to Rin when I died? Either by death in the battlefield or by old age, I would eventually die. Rin however could live continuously for who knew how long. Provided she was properly taken care of, she would be able to live for a very long time after I was gone….but alone. I removed my helmet and took Rin's hand. "Rin, I am human, and yes one day I will die. But that day is not today or anytime soon. So let's not think about that right now." I said embracing her tightly. Rin kissed me softly and then put my helmet back on me with a solemn smile. "I love you John. Be safe." She said lovingly. "I love you too Rin. And I will." I said as I followed my team out of the bunker. We then applied the lockdown codes, so that no-one would be able to re-open the bunker but us. "Alright team let's move!" SGT Wilkens said with a boom. We all fell in behind Wilkens, and proceeded towards the lab. We hadn't gone far, when we found the body of a soldier who had been assigned as base security. Rogers bent down and examined the body. "Fresh kill. Not more than 2 minutes dead. Looks like he was killed with a blade." He concluded. "Then whoever did this is still here." Wilkens said coldly. At that moment I saw a red dot on my motion tracker. "Team, movement!" I called. We all scanned the area, weapons at the ready, but saw no-one. "I don't like this…" I said. "Team, switch to thermals." Wilkens ordered. We all switched to thermal optics on our helmets and just I had switched I saw the outline of a person in a full black body suit attempt to lunge at me with a katana. I reacted by firing a quick burst into his torso. He dropped his sword and collapsed dead. We then quickly examined our new foe. "That suit he's wearing looks almost like the ones we wear under our armor." Howard said worried. "Not to mention they've got cloaking just like ours." I said. "Alright team, stay alert and watch those thermals and motion trackers. Let's move!" SGT Wilkens said as we darted for the lab. "Cardinal, Shadow 1 over." Wilkens attempted to call Kagamine on the comms, but heard no reply. "Cardinal, this is Shadow 1, respond if you are receiving!" he demanded, but was met with only static. We double timed it but were stopped short of the lab by small arms fire. Apparently an entire squad of these strange commandos had infiltrated the base. We quickly took up firing positions, and engaged the enemy. "Rin, we need some intel on what's going on!" I said over the comms. "It looks like these guys were let in by Cho. Judging by the security recordings, they came in through the west gate, cloaked, and then headed to their objective, whatever it is." Rin responded. Meanwhile I continued to suppress whoever these people were with my M-60. Quickly we dispatched a few, and the rest retreated further into the base. "Rin where are they headed?" I asked. "Engineering! It looks like they're after the reactor!" she said. "Damn! They're gonna try and overload it and level this place!" I responded. "You heard them men! Let's move with a purpose!" Wilkens ordered. We sprinted to the reactor room and stopped these strange people from trying to overload the reactor. We shot and killed what was left of them and examined the bodies. "Where the hell would these guys have gotten this kind of technology?" Rogers said confused. "I don't know, but I don't like the fact that we're not the only ones with cloaking tech." Howard said. "Look directly at one of those bodies, I think I can see an emblem of some sort." Rin said suddenly. I then looked directly at the body, and noticed what Rin spoke of. It looked to be a red dragon swallowing what looked like an American flag. "Got it. Entering the emblem into the database now. We'll know in a few minutes exactly who these guys are, and who sent them." She said. "Any word from Dr. Kagamine yet?" Rin asked worried. "Nothing. And it's worrying me." I said. "Alright, let's get up to the lab, and see what the hell is going on."Wilkens said. We double timed it to the lab only to be met with a hermetically sealed door. We all tried our access codes, but none of them worked. "Dammit! None of our codes work!" Wilkens said in frustration. "Rin, can you and the girl's transmit the codes to our chips?" I asked. "No, I can't." she said in frustration. "And why the hell not?" Howard asked confused. "The lab can only be opened by Kagamine himself, or one of us!" Miku replied over the comms. "It was an extra security measure the doctor made to make sure no-one tampered with his work." Teto added. "Alright then, one of you needs to get down here then and open this damned thing!" Wilkens said. "Hold up, I'm tracking more of those cloakers in the armory!" Miku said suddenly. "Alright, Howard and Rogers, you come with me to the armory. Adams, you wait for Rin here and secure the lab since you've got the most firepower. Radio me when you've got the place secured." "Roger Sergeant!" I said. "I'm on my way!" Rin responded. I crouched down to wait for Rin by the door. My armor convieniently went into cloaking whenever I was in a kneeling or prone position, so anyone who tried to gain access to the lab would have a nasty surprise waiting for them. Rin finally made it down to the lab, and I un-cloaked. "Are you ready?" she asked as she prepared to enter the code. "Go ahead. Whatever happens in there though, you stay behind me, ok? The last thing I want is for you to get hurt." I said. "I know, and I will." She said with a smile. She then proceeded to enter the code which required an access number, and cornea scan. Then the door began to slide open, and I lifted my 60 ready to fire. I entered the room cautiously clearing the corners and watching for any movement. I noticed a bright red blood trail on the floor. Rin gasped at the sight of this. Then I noticed a red dot on my motion tracker. It was at that moment that Cho attempted to bolt past me towards the door. I responded by firing a round into his leg. He yelped, and collapsed on the floor. He then drew a pistol and pointed it at Rin. Rin gasped in surprise and fear as he raised the gun and prepared to fire. I was quicker though and fired a burst into his chest silencing him. I ran over to Rin worried, "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" I asked frantically. "No, I'm ok. Thanks to you." She said embracing me. "Next time, we're keeping you WAY out of the combat zone ok?" I said. Rin nodded in approval. We then heard what sounded like gasping. We looked over our shoulders to find Kagamine lying in a pool of blood. Cho had apparently shot him and left him for dead. Rin ran over to him with shock and worry in her eyes. I followed close behind her. She dropped down beside him and said, "Doctor…" in desperation. We both knew it was too late to do anything to save him. He had lost over half of his blood, and his body was beginning to shut down. "Rin,….I'm…so sorry….for everything…." He gasped. "No Doctor, there's nothing to be sorry for!" Rin said through tears. "No….it is time for you to know…..Corporal,…tell her….everything…." Kagamine said. "My God…." I said in disbelief. Kagamine then took a disc out of his lab coat, handed it to Rin and with his last breath, he muttered," Kokoro…..Kokoro…" Rin wept terribly for a few minutes, as I tried my best to comfort her. Rin then lifted her head, and asked, "What did he mean John? When he said tell me everything, what did he mean?" she asked confused. "I took a deep breath as I removed my helmet, and took Rin's hand. "Rin, I know this is gonna be hard to believe, but you have to trust me." I said. "John, you know I trust you more than anyone else." She said in response. "But please, what are you not telling me?" she asked. I took another deep breath and said, "Rin, you were just as alive as I am at one point. You may not realize it, but your "Kokoro" is still beating inside your chest. That's why Kagamine and I always said it was closer than you thought."I explained. Rin became wide-eyed, and stared in disbelief. "I….I don't know what to say…." She said. "But there's no…proof…" she said looking down at the disc. We then both got up and loaded it into the lab's computer. What was accessed was a video log of Kagamine. "Rin, Corporal, if you are watching this, then something has happened, and I am no longer with you." He began. "There are many things that now must be explained. Rin, as per my instructions, I'm sure John has already told you of your "Kokoro." I can now tell you that what he says is true. Rin, you are much more than a mere android, you were a pure miracle, you were….my daughter." He explained. Rin gasped wide eyed as a tear ran down her face. "Yes Rin you were very much alive once. You were turned into an android because of a nearly fatal accident that nearly claimed your life as well as your friend's. The only way I was able to save you all was by having you all become the candidates for my android program. Because of this, your memories of your past life were erased. I hope you can forgive me for this, and for never being able to give you the love you truly deserved." He said. Rin was now in complete shock. " I had originally intended for this to be a stand-alone program aside from WARRIOR, but when I realized that a WARRIOR's combat chip could be synced with a neuro-processor, I decided to integrate the two programs. Thus, I assigned you all to the team member you had the most in common with, yours being John." I was again shocked. Kagamine had planned this all from the start! "I knew I could never again provide you with the love you needed, and so I decided that I would choose one of the WARRIORs to do what I could not. John of course, was the one who was chosen. I know that you two care deeply for each other, and it is truly touching as a father to see my daughter being treated as she should be. John, please take care of Rin, no matter what. Do what I could not, and never let her go." Rin and I exchanged looks as we took each other's hand. "Lastly, there is one other function that your neuro-connection has. You both will be able to always know where the other is by simply focusing. However, this does come with a side effect of sorts." Rin and I exchanged confused looks. "The connection is so powerful, that if one of you dies, then so will the other. This means that you both are truly locked together." Rin and I again looked at each other in awe. I knew right away what Rin was thinking. The question of what would happen to us was now answered. "John, it is time, use the code, and re-awaken the memories. Rin, I am truly sorry for everything. I wish that I could have been a better father, but I was blessed with three miracles from you. The first, was that you were born into this world, the second was the time spent with you, and the third is your Kokoro." With those final words the video ended. Rin looked at me confused. I knelt down beside her and said, "Rin I gotta do something to you. It's gonna make you remember everything." I said with my hand on her shoulder. "Ok. Go ahead." She said. I then recited a code the Doctor had given me weeks earlier in case of a scenario like this. "Activate memory bank 02/05374. Authorization Shadow 2." Rin then groaned in pain, and gripped her chest. "Rin?" I said worried. She breathed heavy for a moment, and then smiled and breathed, "Kokoro….it's real….I…I feel it inside me!" She began to sob softly with this new revelation. She finally smiled weakly and said quietly, "Arigato….father…." "Rin?" I asked again. She lifted her eyes towards me with a very tearful smile. "I finally know." She began. "How to feel. How to be happy, how to be sad…..and how to love." She said hugging me tightly. We sat there for a moment holding each other in awe of Rin's newfound heart, which of course had been there all along. "I would have told you sooner…" I began. "But Dr. Kagamine stopped me because he said it might be too much for you…." I said. "I guess I just wasn't ready yet…" Rin said. "But now I feel completely alive, and…..I….I remember it! Everything!" she said with a start. "I remember who I was, where I lived, who I knew, and…my God I remember the wreck!" she said tears filling her eyes. I held her tightly again and comforted her. "It's ok…I'm here…" I said as she cried softly into my chest. "I…I don't know what to say…" she said at last. "I..I just can't believe that I really WAS human…" "You've always been human to me." I smiled trying my best to cheer her up. She returned my smile and kissed me. "Shadow 2, Shadow 1. Report over." The silence was broken as SGT. Wilkens called over the comms. "Shadow 1, Shadow 2. Lab is secured. Sensitive data accounted for, but we have two KIA's. Cho and Kagamine. Over." I responded. "Roger, acknolwledged. Make your way down to the armory. We have a live EPW, and we're going to see what he knows. Over." Wilkens called back. "Roger, Oscar mike. Over" I replied. I picked up my helmet, and took Rin by the hand. I helped her up, and we both exchanged weak smiles. We both still knew amongst all of the chaos that was sure to follow, we would still have each other no matter what. We then proceeded to the armory to join the rest of the team and androids. It was clear to me that these people were part of the terrorist organization that Kagamine had spoken of. I made a vow that day to myself and to Rin that I would avenge her father's death, and bring whoever was responsible to justice….


	12. Chapter 12

Rin  
and I finally reached the armory to find the team preparing to interrogate a  
wounded terrorist. Miku and Teto were also present in order to observe and  
analyze responses. "Adams, Rin, you made it. I'm sorry to hear about the Doc."  
SGT. Wilkens said. Rin again buried her head into my chest in sadness at this  
statement. "But we're gonna pump this bastard for intel, and then go kick his  
boss's ass once we find out who sent him!" Wilkens said sensing Rin's sadness.  
"Hooah Sergeant." I said in agreement. I then turned to Rin. "It's gonna get  
pretty messy in there with this EPW. You can wait outside if you want." I said  
worried. "No, I have to know who did this." Rin said wiping her eyes. "Ok. If  
it gets too hairy in there, you just let me know ok?" I said. Rin nodded, and  
followed me into a sealed off part of the armory where the prisoner was being  
held. I looked around to see the damage that had been done. "What happened?" I  
asked. "Little bastards attacked with small arms, and gas." Rogers said. "We  
managed to purge the armory of gas remotely, but we lost almost everyone in the  
armory who didn't get to a gas mask in time…" Teto added sorrowfully. "Well,  
we'll make them pay for what they've done here…" Howard said coldly. "Rin and  
the girls then agreed to translate for us as we interrogated the prisoner.  
Wilkens approached him and asked, "Who sent you? Who are you working for?" Miku  
translated and we listened to him mutter something defiantly in Japanese. "What  
did he say?" Howard asked. "He said to burn in hell…" Miku said sheepishly.  
Wilkens then became angered, and grabbed the prisoner by the neck and yelled,  
"If you value your life, you'll tell us what we want to know NOW!" he boomed.  
Miku again translated, and were once again met with defiance. "He said to kill  
him because you won't get anything out of him. He also said something about the  
U.S. will pay for its sins..whatever that means…" Miku said. "Alright that's  
it! Helmets on, CBRN mode." We all put on our helmets and switched to CBRN  
mode. I picked up a gas mask and offered it to Rin. "Need a gas mask?" I asked.  
"I don't have lungs remember?" she said half jokingly. "Sure that gas won't  
hurt you?" I asked concerned. "Yes I'm sure." She said. "Howard, gimme the  
canister." Wilkens said as Howard tossed him a gas canister. It apparently had  
been confiscated from the prisoner after he had been wounded. I helped Rogers  
seal that part of the armory, then nodded to Wilkens. With that, he pulled the  
pin on the canister and waved it menacingly in the prisoner's face. "Recognize  
this?" Wilkens said coldly. The prisoner gazed wide eyed with fear. Wilkens  
then waved a gas mask tauntingly in front of him. "Now, tell me who sent you  
and who you're working for and it's yours." Miku once again translated, and we  
finally got an answer. He blurted something desperately in Japanese, and then  
Miku piped up, "He said Bushido, and Daichi Hasegawa!" Miku said. "Music to my  
ears." Wilkens began as he threw the mask at the terrorist. "This is for  
Kagamine." Wilkens said as he drew his sidearm and fired a round into the  
prisoner's head killing him instantly. I then hit the purge button on the  
armory control panel to clear the room of the gas. We all then silently exited  
the room. None of us said a word about the execution of the prisoner because it  
was the only justice we currently had for Kagamine's untimely murder. He had  
been a great mentor and friend to us all, and a father to Rin. All we could do  
now was wait to find out who this "Bushido" and "Daichi Hasegawa" were so that  
we could repay all of the mis-deeds they had done….


	13. Chapter 13

We spent a little while debriefing with Col. Sharp of the recent engagement, and to give Dr. Wilson Proctor, Kagamine's second hand man, time to analyze the technology our newfound enemy had acquired. "WARRIORS, you just fought some of the most technologically advanced enemies I have ever seen. The question is who the hell are they, who are they working for, and why they have a bone to pick with us." Sharp began. "The symbol that Corporal Adams and Rin found on one of the bodies has led us to a Japanese terrorist organization called "Bushido". They are a group of extremists who believe firmly in Shintoism and still largely blame the U.S. for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Sharp explained. "Doesn't make any sense." I said. "Why would these bastards still be sour over something that happened well over 70 years ago?" I asked. "Because of Bushido." Rin spoke up. "Bushido translates to the way of the samurai. According to this code, surrender was never to be rendered, and the enemy was to be wiped out completely." Rin explained. "Precisely Rin." The colonel said. "In addition to this, we have gained intel on their leader as well." He said as he produced several photos of the terrorist leader. "This Daichi Hasegawa apparently was apparently a friend of Kagamine's at one point as well. However, once he began Bushido and began raiding U.S. tourist transports, Kagamine broke relations with him." "But how did those guys get a hold of that tech?" Howard asked. "When Kagamine left, he only took vital notes and equipment with him. He left behind several blueprints and prototypes, and these are the result." Sharp explained. "Dr. Proctor, would you care to brief the team on the stealth suits?" Sharp said. "Yes sir." Proctor said coming forward. "Well team, as you already know, these suits are very similar to your own, but much less advanced. As you already observed, they can still allow for invisibility to the naked eye, but not to your suit's thermal optics." Proctor said. "So does that mean we'll be visible on thermals too?" Rogers asked. "No. Kagamine perfected the body suit only when he arrived here to completely mask your visual as well as your thermal image. This should give you an edge against these terrorists." Proctor explained. "Speaking of the suits however, the symbol you found Corporal is the insignia for the elite operators within the organization. They are known as the Red Dragons, and are the only ones who posses the most advanced technology." Proctor added. "Well, we know who these bastards are and who they're working for now, but where is their base of operations?" Wilkens asked. "Interesting that you ask that Sergeant." The doctor said. "I've been analyzing these suits and I've come up with a few soil samples on several. This type of soil is obviously Japanese, but it only comes from an island several miles off the coast of Japan. This type of soil is rich in sulfur, which can only mean that it comes from.." "Iwo Jima!" Rin and I said in unision. "That is correct. This type of soil is only found on the island of Iwo Jima." "The same place the Marines fought on during World War II?" Rogers asked. "That's the one." The colonel chimed in as he pulled up a projector screen. "The satellite images you see before you were taken just over an hour ago." He said as we all gazed at several images of the terrorists re-constructing the ancient tunnels and bunkers used by the Japanese during the Second World War. Many Marines had lost their lives due to the strategic entrenchment of the Japanese as well as their sheer determination to kill as many Americans as possible. "So where does this leave us sir?" I asked. "Shadow team, your mission is very simple. You are to infiltrate the terrorist base, find out what they're up to, kill Hasegawa, and destroy any and all of Kagamine's technology they may have." The colonel replied. "Wilkens and Howard, you both will perform a maritime insertion and recon Mt. Surabachi. Adams and Rogers, you both will do a HALO insertion and recon the southern half of the island. Once the recon is complete, you will re-group, and go after Hasegawa. Once he is dealt with, you will destroy all sensitive data, and extract via helo." Sharp explained. "Wheels up for the mission is in thirty-six hours, so check your equipment, get what you need, and get ready for an op. Dismissed!" Sharp said. "Yes sir!" we all said in unision as we snapped off a slaute and exited the ready room. Rin and I walked with the rest of the team and androids to the lab so that we could fully explain everything. Rin with a heavy heart, told Teto and Miku of what really happened. They were both overcome with emotion like Rin had been. She revealed to them the details of Kokoro and how Kagamine had ultimately been her father. She also input the memory codes to make them remember as well. Now the truth was finally revelaed to them all. Rogers and Howard did their best to comfort Teto and Miku as I had done with Rin earlier. It truly was a large shock to them all to find out about this all of the sudden. Finally though, we were able to hear what actually happened the night that all three nearly died. As the team and I took a seat next to our girls, we listened quietly to the details of their terrible tragedy. "Before the accident, Father and I lived on post at Nellis AFB." Rin explained. "All of us went to school on post, but we attended a dance troop in Vegas as a hobby." Miku added. "That why you kicked my boy's asses in that dance game?" Wilkens asked jokingly. We all laughed slightly. "I think we had a late night getting back in one night." Teto said. "Yeah, we were heading back when….when a car pulled out in front of us from nowhere…" Rin recalled. "Then another got behind us.." Teto added. "Then….the last thing I remember was a big explosion…" Miku said weakly. "Explosion!? Cars don't just blow up on their own!" I said suspiciously. "Unless they're rigged to…" Howard said. " I'm beginning to think someone was behind that "accident." Rogers said. "We should give that wreck site a good going over. It might give us some clues as to what these terrorists were up to." Wilkens said. "Do you guys remember where the accident happened?" I asked Rin. "Yeah, we'll take you to it." She said. "Alright then, let's go." Wilkens said as we all stood to exit the lab. "Wait!" Miku said suddenly. "I remember something else!" "What is it Miku?" Rin asked worried. "Neru! What happened to Neru!?" Miku asked in desperation. "My God Neru! I'd forgotten all about her!" Rin said tearfully. "Oh no, what if she didn't make it?" Teto said worried. "Neru?" I asked Rin in confusion. "Neru was another one of our friends who was with us when the accident happened." Rin explained. "Maybe there's another file of what happened to her on that disc Dr. Kagamine gave you." I suggested. "Let's see. I just hope that she's ok…" Rin said worried. We moved back over to the computer to access the disc once again. It turned out we were right, and there was more on that disc than we had realized. We accessed another video file and listened as it played another recording of Dr. Kagamine. "WARRIORS, girls, by now I'm sure you're all well aware of the truth behind the unfortunate accident. I am truly sorry for having to keep this secret from you all for so long, but it was necessary for the secrecy of the program, as well as to protect you all. I can now reveal to you all more in depth details of the accident however. The "accident" was no accident at all, it was staged from the start. By the same terrorist organization that I'm sure you are all now aware of. The explosion that nearly claimed your lives was triggered by suicide bombers within the two vehicles that surrounded yours. It was the sort of bomb that they used which caused you all to be burned so badly, thermite in fact." Kagamine explained. "That makes sense." Howard said as he was an expert on explosives. "Thermite can burn at extremely high temperatures, and is usually used in military-grade incindiary weapons." He said. "This of course is the cause of why I had to re-construct your appearances completely. The burn damage was so bad, you all were barely recognizable." Kagamine said. "Furthermore, I had to replace nearly all of your vital organs, save for your hearts and brains. Your brains however, were given an upgrade, your neuro-processor in fact. Therefore, you all retained half of your original brain, and were given a cybernetic brain as the other half, which of course allows you to sync to your respective WARRIORS." Kagamine explained. Things made a lot more sense now. "This still doesn't explain what happened to Neru!" Rin said in frustration. "Now then, I'm sure you are all wondering what happened to your friend, Neru Akita." We all perked up in anticipation. "As Neru was the oldest of you girls, she was somehow the first to recover from the android procedure. It was during this time that I decided to make her the central command android. Namely, the team leader for you girls." Kagamine said. Rin and I exchanged confused glances. "In other words, SGT. Wilkens has an android assistant as well. It was simply a matter of timing that orchestrated when he would receive his assistant. In short Neru is still here in the base, and it is now time to re-activate her, and officially bring her into the team. Proceed to the lower level of this lab, and enter the code N-001/AUTH SHADOW 1 into the terminal there. Good luck Shadow Team, and never forget Simul Pugnare!" Kagamine said as the video log closed. We all now looked at Wilkens expectantly. "Well, let's go meet this new assistant of mine!" he said as he rose to his feet. We all followed him into the lower level, and found the terminal the doctor had spoken of. Rin's eyes widened with anticipation as Wilkens entered the code. Suddenly a hidden door slid open to reveal what looked to be several chryo-pods. In one of the pods there was a girl who looked a little older than the other girls, and had the number "01" in red on her left shoulder. The pod then began to come to life, and began to re-activate Neru. We all stared wide-eyed as Neru awoke, and climbed out of the pod. She looked at us all strangely for a moment, then said, "Boy do you all sure give the worst wake up calls!"


	14. Chapter 14

My team and I all looked at this new android hard for a moment. She certainly looked to have authority for one thing. Her outfit was similar to Rin's in some aspects, but it was trimmed in a sort of orange-ish gold color. Her hair was tied in a long side pony-tail, and her expression seemed to always indicate frustration. Rin and the other two androids rushed forward to embrace their long lost friend. As they shared embraces, I looked over at SGT Wilkens who was leering at Neru. "You ok Sarge?" I asked jokingly. "What? Oh, yeah I'm fine Corporal." He responded. I looked at Rogers and we both chuckled under our breath. We both knew where this was going. We waited a few more moments for the girls to finish with their reunions, and then stepped in. "So these are the WARRIORS?" Neru asked. "That's right!" Rin said proudly as she pulled me over to where Neru was standing. "Neru, I'd like you to meet my WARRIOR, CPL. John Adams, Shadow 2. He's the team's machine gunner and second in command….but more recently my boyfriend too." She said smiling up at me with that same michievious grin I'd seen before. "Pleasure to meet you." I said extending my hand. Miku and Teto then introduced Howard and Rogers, and finally Wilkens and Neru began with their introductions. "I'm Wilkens, the team's leader. Guess you're my assistant huh?" he said shyly. "Nice to meet you. I guess I am.." Neru said with the same shyness. I saw Rin laugh under her breath. "What's so funny?" I asked. "I've never seen Neru so nervous around a guy! I think she likes him!" I chuckled and said, "Yep same with the Sarge. I think we both know where this is going." I said smiling at Rin. Once introductions were complete we explained our current situation. "I remember the doctor talking about Bushido and the like. I just wish I could have been brought back under different circumstances." She said upon learning of Kagamine's death. "We all feel a sense of loss at his death. He was like a father to all us…and a little more so to a certain few of us." Wilkens said looking at Rin and I. "So where does this leave us then?" Neru asked. "We've already got a counter-attack operation underway. We'll be beginning the operation in a few hours. The girls will brief you on the specs and objectives a little later." Wikens explained. "Whatever happens, make sure whoever did this suffers…" Neru said coldly. "Believe me we will…" I said in response.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day was wheels up for the operation. The girls had spent most of the morning bringing Neru up to speed on everything. While Wilkens and Neru were off getting synced up, the rest of the girls and the team and I held an impromptu funeral for Dr. Kagamine. It wasn't much, but we felt that it was the right thing to do. I saw Rin sink to her knees in front of Kagamine's grave a shed a few tears as she reminisced on the father she once had. I knelt down next to her and took her in my arms to comfort her. She smiled weakly, and put her head on my shoulder. "I'm truly sorry for this Rin. Maybe if I had been faster and killed Cho in the first place, maybe this wouldn't have happened…" I said looking down. "No, it's not your fault." She said teary eyed. "I don't think anything could have stopped this. In all truth, I think he knew this was coming, and that's why he brought us together." She said gripping me tighter. "Just please be careful out there…" Rin pleaded with me. "You're all I have left now…." She added burying her head into my chest. "I will be. I promise." I said gently kissing her on the cheek. We spent the next few hours preparing for the operation, and finally 2000 hit, and we headed to the C-130. Rin and I walked together up the ramp and sat down beside one another and readied for take-off. Rogers as well as the other three androids were also present. After dropping Rogers and I, the C-130 would orbit well out of range of any anti-air defense to allow the girls to monitor our mission. Wilkens and Howard were the only ones not present as they had already headed for a submarine that would insert them underwater for their recon of Mt. Surabachi. Once the C-130 was airborne, I stood and checked my gear one last time. I then checked my weapons and ammo, and made sure my chute was set. Rin took my hand worried with that same look of concern on her face. I hugged her tight in response to attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry babe, this'll all be over before you know it." I said comfortingly. Rogers and Teto shared a final embrace as well before we were given the thirty second warning. Rin released me, and then gave me one last kiss before setting my helmet on my head. "Be safe." She said with a smile. "Ten seconds!" the jump master called as the door opened. "I will. I love you Rin." I said "I love you too John." She said with that same glow in her eyes that made them seem like blue sapphires. "Go! Go! Go!" the jump master yelled. Rogers and I looked one last time at the girls, then nodded to one another, and dove out into the night sky.


End file.
